It is known to use a battery management system to regulate the power output and power consumption such that the battery works in a particular temperature range. However, it is not possible for the entire power potential of the battery to be exhausted thereby.
It is also known to use cooling media, such as air, cooling water or coolant, which draw heat from the battery and emit it to the outside. Although a higher power output is possible therewith, it is only possible for temperatures to be limited upwardly by way of cooling. Precisely for automotive applications, it is important to protect batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, not only from overheating but also from overcooling. Overcooling considerably reduces the power output of a lithium-ion battery. If a vehicle having this battery is parked at cold temperatures, the battery can cool down so far that the greatest possible power output of the battery is too low for use.
Means for heating a battery are also known. Thus, latent heat stores integrated into battery systems can store thermal energy during a phase transition of a storage medium and release it again during a return transition. However, this method can only be used in a limited temperature range, and also the return transition cannot be temporally controlled. It takes place automatically in a manner dependent on the ambient temperature.